There are two important shifts going on in contemporary superhero movies. There has been a greater shift in seeing the perspective of great superhero conflicts from the human side. Anyone can recall the earlier movies of the early 2000’s like "Hulk", "Transformers" or any of the "Batman" or "Superman" movies, where entire urban landscapes are almost completely leveled. Nary a soul can be seen as Superman pounds out the newest villain. I have thought to myself many times of the realistic implications of such a fight. It seems that new age directors have asked themselves that very question.
In both "Batman vs. Superman" and "Captain America: Civil War", the wanton destruction caused by the heroes’ battles serves as the canvas for the movie plots. The directors force the movie to ask, is the world better off with these so-called heroes?
While most of us-- especially in the United States-- cannot relate to that level of devastation except for that fateful day on September 11th, with these new films the tragedies are palpable. By the film’s conclusion, the good guys still win…but at what cost? That is what these contemporary superhero movies are forcing us to confront. The post-modern superhero movies deal with grays in a medium that has traditionally basked in a binary black and white universe.
This post-modern realism reflects a society that is keen to confront an increasingly complicated and multi-polar world. The heroes confront not only dangerous enemies, but also their inner demons and the consequences of their well-intentioned actions.
In these battles, by the end the most that is achieved is a Pyrrhic victory. In Civil War, a mother who lost her son during the battle of Sokovia in an earlier Avengers installment (Avengers: Age of Ultron) confronts Tony Starks. That confrontation and subsequent guilt is what leads to Tony Starks definitively agreeing to rein in the Avenger's autonomy in favor of a international body able to direct them. They are increasingly seen more as adventurist vigilantes at best, and callous mercenaries at worst.
Personally, this tension is welcome in the new films, as it shows the complexity in the decision-making process inherent in any position of responsibility and power. And fresh off an era in the 2000’s where movie-goers were pining for the simpler days in a post 9-11 world, it is revitalizing for audiences to see a more nuanced narrative take center stage in these blockbusters. Traditionally, a protagonist’s desire to do “good” has been sufficient to showcase the character’s moral compass and righteousness. In the post-modern era that moral compass has been moved, and the questions are posed to the audience as well as to the central character, helping the audience put themselves in the shoes of the hero in a more realistic fashion.
As a fan of the superhero/comic genre, I can attest that this is a great time for gritty, real world adaptations of our favorite story lines, finally made to mirror the more difficult times we are living in.
